An honor-roll student with a 3.0 grade-point average, Smith also runs cross country, but it is on the basketball court that he excels. "He just plays," coach Kelvin Bridgers said. "He could play any of the five positions. He gets a lot of double teams, which opens up assist opportunities, and he can score. He's a great three-point shooter."

The 5-foot-3 junior guard led the No. 1 Panthers (6-0) to four victories last week, including wins over No. 2 Arundel, 56-45, and then-No. 4 Western, 54-42. A pesky defensive player who also runs much of the Panthers' offense, Hawkes had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists against Arundel and eight points, seven rebounds and two assists against Western. She also scored 27 points in a 67-38 win over the Institute of Notre Dame and 19 in a 54-40 win over No. 13 Mercy. A first-team All-Metro selection last season, Hawkes averages 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.7 steals.